Turkey: We will only use the Russian S-400 to defend our territory

MOSCOW, Russia – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday in his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s MGIMO university that Ankara has no desire to use the S-400 anti-aircraft missile defense system against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria or other countries, and rather just to defend their own territory from threats.

“We cannot use it [the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system] during Operation Olive Branch or similar operations, because we can use it only to protect our territories,” he said.

“The S-400 will be used only to protect our civilian population on the territory of our country,” Cavusoglu stressed.

Turkey launched its “Olive Branch Operation” against the YPG on January 20 to clear the northwest Afrin region of Syria from the militia that it considers to be a terrorist organizations.

The YPG are the Syrian branch of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that is internationally recognized as a terrorist organizations, including by Washington. Despite the US recognizing the PKK as a terrorist organization, it arms, funds and supports the YPG in Syria. This has been the major reason for hostilities between Ankara and Washington, especially in regards to their Syria policy.

Elsewhere in Syria, a new newspaper for the Russian and Syrian military is about to begin publication. Further details of this can be read here.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.